Printing systems generally rely on human involvement to estimate the amount of print consumables required to complete a print job and then supply the consumables required for the print job. The print consumables may include marking agents (e.g., ink or toner), print media (e.g., paper, transparencies), or any other item that the printer uses that may later require replacement.
When a print job is received, the print shop operator typically first reviews the print job in order to determine if it is comprised of text, graphics, or text and graphics, the type of media required, whether it will be printed simplex or duplex and the number and type of inks required (1, 2, 4-color, 6-color, 4 with fifth spot color, 4 with fifth as overcoat, etc). Based on the number of pages, the consumables that might be required to complete the job are then estimated. The operator checks the print shop inventory to determine if the required consumables are on hand for the job. If some of the required consumables are not in the inventory or there is not enough of a certain consumable, the operator then has to order these supplies manually. This process is time consuming and expensive since it requires a paid human operator to perform most of the steps. This method also relies on human judgment and is consequently prone to error. This is particularly true if an operator does not have adequate experience estimating print jobs or because of the complexity of a particular print job the difference between estimated consumables and the actually-required consumables can vary greatly.
An additional problem is that the consumables are typically stored on site in order for the print shop operator to be able to access the consumables in an efficient manner and provide them to the printing system. This again adds expense to the process since a sufficiently large storeroom must be maintained for the consumables. There is a resulting need in the art for a way to estimate print job requirements for print consumables and provide the print consumables just-in-time for the printing job to be performed.